


How to Schmooze: A Guide by Poe Dameron

by thecommodore_squid (orphan_account)



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Dancing, F/F, Finn Panics About Socialization, Fluff, Jess Is The Best Wingman, M/M, Schmoozing, She doesn't mean to be, This Is Fairly Silly, gala - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-14
Updated: 2017-05-14
Packaged: 2018-10-31 13:53:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10900698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/thecommodore_squid
Summary: “I can go,” Poe said easily.“Not just you,” the General said, and Poe knew she was strategizing at a lightyear per minute by the far-off look in her eyes. “We’ve gotta put some of the most well-known figures of the Resistance into play.”“Finn,” Poe said immediately.AKAIn which The Gang attends a gala, Finn doesn't know how to dance, and Poe just wants to kiss him.





	How to Schmooze: A Guide by Poe Dameron

**Author's Note:**

> A prompt in my tumblr inbox inspired me enough to write something longer than a drabble, so I'm posting it here.
> 
> This is my first Star Wars fic, so be gentle with me?
> 
> All mistakes are my own. Comments and kudos are always appreciated.
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

“Alright, you seem distracted,” Poe said.

 

General Organa looked up at him, making a face. “My apologies, Commander. I’m just thinking about this alliance.”

 

Poe nodded wearily. Said alliance was going to be the result of months of negotiations between the Resistance and the remnants of the Republic, but ever since the First Order had hand-delivered Armitage Hux for imprisonment and execution, they had started to mellow out the idea.

 

Poe know their breed of pacifism all too well, and it made his teeth clench.

 

“Anything I can do to help?” he asked.

 

The General’s eyes brightened a little bit. “Actually, I think there is.”

 

“Anything,” Poe said again, adjusting his stance.

 

“There’s the gala in three days. Many important figures in the Republic will be there. I _was_ going to attend, but there’s too much to do, and—“

 

“I can go,” Poe said easily.

 

“Not just you,” the General said, and Poe knew she was strategizing at a lightyear per minute by the far-off look in her eyes. “We’ve gotta put some of the most well-known figures of the Resistance into play.”

 

“Finn,” Poe said immediately. “Rey.”

 

“Rey’s busy,” the General muttered. “But, yes, Finn. Bring some of your favorite X-Wing pilots as well.”

 

“If they’re not busy.”

 

“Of course.” Her gaze sharpened, and she returned to the moment. “Don’t bring more than six.”

 

“You got it, General.”

 

She shook her head fondly. “I don’t know what I’d do without you. I’ll send more details to BB-8 later.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

He found Jess and Karé first.

 

“You guys wanna come to a fancy gala and suck up to Republic officers?”

 

“Do we get to eat fancy food?” Jess asked.

 

“I mean, probably.”

 

“I’m in. Babe?”

 

Karé held up her hands, smirking. “Sorry, guys. I’ve got a mission.”

 

Jess full-on _pouted_ because she was secretly a child. “Damn. Can I back out?”

 

Poe rolled his eyes. “ _I’ll_ be your date.”

 

Jess sighed. “Ugh. Gross.” She looked him up and down. “But you’ll do.”

 

Karé laughed. “Glad you guys sorted this out.”

 

Poe smiled. “I’m gonna go see about a few more people.”

 

“Cheater,” Jess coughed, and Poe ignored her as he wound his way through the base to assemble his team.

 

He managed to rope in Snap and Suralinda before he went to go find Finn.

 

Poe followed a hunch and made his way to the shooting range.

 

Finn was in the middle of a simulation with a few other Pathfinders. Poe stopped to watch as he effortlessly commanded the field, taking out troopers left and right until they were all gone.

 

Poe had never thought that something so violent could be so attractive.

 

He shook himself out of his daze and smiled as Finn stepped out of the simulation, his face lighting up when he saw Poe. “Hey!”

 

“Hey, buddy,” Poe said. “I’ve got a mission proposition for you.”

 

“What is it?” Finn asked as he put his gun back in his locker. “I dunno if the team’s ready yet.”

 

“They _look_ ready, but it’s not that kind of mission.”

 

Finn frowned. “What is it, then?”

 

Poe explained the General’s dilemma, and Finn nodded along. “So, she wants you to go.”

 

“Okay, sure,” Finn said, a furrow in his brow. “Is Rey coming?”

 

Poe lifted his hands. “I hear she’s busy.”

 

He smiled ruefully. “Yeah. Okay. What do I wear?”

 

Poe shrugged. “We can figure that out later. We’re not leaving until tomorrow night.”

 

Finn’s eyebrows shot up. “We only have a _day_?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

Finn shook his head. “I change my mind. This is a very bad idea.”

 

“Why?”

 

Finn shot Poe a look. “I don’t know how to _dance_ or _schmooze_ or _anything_.”

 

“Oh, buddy,” Poe said, trying not to laugh. “That’s okay. We can figure something out.”

 

“Poe, _I have not been properly socialized_.”

 

Finn looked truly scared about it, so Poe dropped the smile. Okay. “We don’t have to dance at galas.”

 

Relief flashed across Finn’s expression. “Really?”

 

“Yeah, not necessarily. But if you don’t dance, you’ll have to schmooze.”

 

The panic returned to Finn’s face. “But—“

 

Poe put a hand up to his chin and crunched up his face. “What _are_ the virtues of the Resistance at this rate? The First Order is a reasonable institution,” he said in his best uppity Republic accent.

 

Finn looked confused and fairly irritated for a second before understanding flashed across his eyes. “Well, _sir_ , the Resistance never engages first, and it’s fairly apparent that the First Order is a major aggressor. We fight against that.”

 

“Never say ‘fight,’” Poe said gently. “Or ‘against,’ come to think of it.”

 

“Why?” Finn wrinkled his nose. “That’s stupid.”

 

“The Republic is ridiculously pacifist.”

 

Finn rubbed a hand across his jaw. “What _would_ I say, then.”

 

“That the Resistance takes care of potentially explosive problems before the Republic has to.” He shrugged. “Frame it to their advantage, always.”

 

Finn groaned. “I’m not good at this.”

 

“Actually, you’re great at this. You just don’t know the Republic like I do.”

 

Finn closed his locker, and he and Poe started walking towards the quarters wing of the base. “Well, what about dates?”

 

Poe tripped over his own feet and cursed, nearly falling flat on his face before Finn caught his arm, completely used to this sort of thing by now. “What do you mean?” Poe asked, trying to be casual, but his voice came out much higher than normal.

 

“You know,” Finn said uncomfortably. “Don’t you go to galas with dates?”

 

“I guess, um, traditionally, that may be the case for—um—for _some_ —“ Poe stammered. He shut his mouth.

 

Finn rubbed the back of his head, looking as flustered as Poe had ever seen. “Are you going with anyone?”

 

Poe blinked, suddenly relieved beyond belief that he’d seen Jess first and that Karé had bailed. “Jess!” he said. “Ish. I mean. As friends, of course.”

 

“Karé would kill you,” Finn noted absently. Poe realized they were in front of Finn’s dorm. They stopped walking.

 

“Yeah,” Poe agreed faintly.

 

Finn glanced him over, smiling sadly. “That’s too bad.”

 

“What? That Karé isn’t going to kill me? Because I’d think—“

 

“That you’ve got a date,” Finn clarified softly.

 

Poe stared. “Why?”

 

“I was gonna ask you,” Finn said.

 

Poe barely had time to blink before Finn disappeared into his dorm.

 

“Holy shit,” Poe whispered to himself as he stared at the door. “ _Holy shit!_ ” He whirled around in a circle and spotted BB-8 rolling towards him. “Did he seriously just—“

 

BB-8 took one look at him and beeped, “<Whatever it is, it’s probably about Finn.>”

 

“This is his room, genius!” Poe hissed. He raked his fingers through his hair. “Should I go in there?”

 

“<I have mission details.>”

 

Poe stared at his droid. “You’re right. This can—wait. Probably. He probably wasn’t even serious, right? He was probably totally joking. What a sense of humor.”

 

“<Ridiculous.>”

 

“I am _not_.”

 

Nonetheless, Poe reluctantly extracted himself from his place in front of Finn’s door and followed BB-8.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Should I say anything?” Poe asked. “I should say something, right?”

 

Jess was in the process of half-heartedly trying to shove Poe off of her bed while Karé prepared for her mission. “Probably,” Jess said. “That was pretty up-front.”

 

“But _what if_ —“

 

“I’m gonna stop you right there,” Karé declared, turning to face them. “Your guy just said he would have asked you _on a date_. Jump on it, or it’s gonna pass.”

 

“Karé, babe, you’re an eloquent genius as always,” Jess said.

 

“Thanks, Jess.”

 

Poe hated them both. “I can’t stop thinking about him.”

 

Jess gagged. “Disgusting.”

 

“You have _no room_ to judge,” Poe huffed as Jess finally gave up trying to shove him.

 

“I have an idea,” Karé said. “You should wait to confess your love at the gala.”

 

“I should not do that,” Poe said. “It’d jeopardize the mission.”

 

“What Republic officer doesn’t love a good romance?” Karé asked, arching an eyebrow.

 

Poe scowled. “We’re not there for that.”

 

“How about right _before_ the gala?” Jess said. “You’re probably flying together, right?”

 

Poe shrugged. “Maybe.”

 

“You can’t ride in silence for a full day, man. That’s impractical.”

 

Jess was right. “But—“

 

“No buts,” she said. “But you’re still my date to this thing.”

 

“I don’t know why I let you guys boss me around. I outrank you,” Poe protested half-heartedly.

 

“You love it,” Karé said dismissively.

 

He did.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Rey picked it out,” Finn said while Poe stared and stared.

 

They’d been on the ship for a few hours of semi-tense silence, and Finn had apparently changed into his gala outfit.

 

He didn’t know whether to thank the maker or curse her.

 

“Looks good,” he managed. Coughed. “Real good.”

 

“Thanks.”

 

Poe took a deep breath. “About what you said earlier…”

 

Finn shrugged. “Don’t worry about it, Poe.”

 

Poe’s confession died on his lips. “What?”

 

“I probably shouldn’t have said it.”

 

Poe tried not to visibly wilt. “Right.”

 

Finn clapped him on the shoulder, and Poe managed not to jolt. “Hey. We’re gonna _schmooze_. It’ll be fun.”

 

Poe gave a weak smile. “Yeah, buddy. It’ll be fun.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Did you do it?” Jess asked in between polite yet passive aggressive conversation.

 

“I _tried_ ,” Poe sighed.

 

“I swear to god, be reckless when it’s not life-threatening for once.”

 

“No,” Poe said.

 

Otherwise, the gala was going well. Suralinda knew the Republic as well as Poe did, and Snap was just benignly charming as always, and Jess was _Jess_ , and Finn—

 

Well, Finn was the center of everyone’s attention. The Stormtrooper defector. He was _famous_. They _loved_ him.

 

Poe could relate.

 

“I hear you’re the best pilot in the Resistance,” someone was saying to him.

 

Poe snapped back to the present. “Well. It’s a title that sticks,” he said, smiling ruefully.

 

“He’s being modest,” Jess said. “He took out Starkiller.”

 

The humanoid nodded, suitably impressed. “Hmm. And no one’s managed to kill you. Interesting.”

 

Poe laughed a little bit. “Guess not. I’m as surprised as the next guy.”

 

He was aware that this wasn’t great schmoozing conversation, but he didn’t recognize this individual and didn’t think they’d be vital enough to sway the Republic’s decision.

 

“Very interesting,” the humanoid said. They moved to clasp Poe in the customary half-hug, but they pressed a blaster to his gut at the last moment.

 

“Oh,” Poe said because he _definitely_ should have seen that coming.

 

“Resistance _pig_ ,” his attacker snarled and—

 

—and Jess smashed a bottle of wine onto their head, snatched from a passing server.

 

“Thanks,” Poe said as the humanoid collapsed.

 

“Poe!” Finn shouted, moving through the crowd to get to them. “What just happened? Are you okay?”

 

“Yeah. Jess had it covered,” Poe said, a little bit rattled.

 

“I bet you’re glad I was your date _now_ , man,” Jess said, poking at the attacker with her toe.

 

Finn framed Poe’s face with his hands. “You’ve got a target on your head.”

 

“Hey. So do you,” Poe pointed out, loosely grabbing Finn’s wrists, leaning into the touch pathetically.

 

“What should we do with this dude?” Jess asked, but her voice was distant.

 

“Finn, there’s something I gotta say,” Poe said.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“I want you to be my date for everything else after this.”

 

“Dude,” Jess said. “I just saved your life!”

 

Poe ignored her. "Dance with me?"

 

"I can't dance," Finn whispered, but he let Poe drag him to the dance floor anyway.

 

Poe guided him into a simple sway, and he tried not to think about anything too hard. "Why'd you say you shouldn't have said it?"

 

Finn's Adam's apple bobbed, and Poe was mildly fascinated by it. "I thought you didn't feel the same way."

 

"I do."

 

"I think I see that now," Finn said faintly.

 

"Romantically," Poe clarified.

 

“Oh,” Finn said, eyes lighting. “Well, in that case—“

 

And then Finn was kissing him.

 

It was brief, but bless the maker, it was good, and as they drew away from each other, Poe couldn’t wait to investigate this new development further.

 

“That was so _romantic_ ,” one of the Republic officers to Poe’s right said, and Poe turned to see her clutching at her heart. “What a _story_ the two of you make.”

 

Poe smiled and laced his fingers with Finn’s. “You should hear the whole story. It’s even more romantic than it seems.”

 

Finn covered his eyes with his hand. "It's normally romantic. Are you gonna be like this all the time?"

 

Poe beamed at him. "Yes."

 

A crowd was beginning to form. “Oh, do tell.”

 

“Well, it all started when I was captured by the First Order. I thought I was going to die, and then suddenly the most _beautiful man in the galaxy_ was saving me.”

 

“De- _light_ -ful!” the officer crooned.

 

“Oh my god, guys, am I seriously going to have to deal with this body all by myself?” Jess protested in the background. “I’m never coming to one of these again.”

**Author's Note:**

> [I'm on tumblr.](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/thecommodoresquid)


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